As I've gotten older, my disdain for this game has grown, and why I like and dislike the game has changed over time. to the point that this will most likely ever be the last time I play this game

I give a lot of credit to this game as it sets the standard for the rest of the series to come and I think this is the most Tony Hawk game it can only be matched to THUG1

The three things that I don't think will ever change
1. The selection of skaters
2. The soundtrack
3. The ((idea)) of the "pro challenges""

I don't have much to say about point one and point two
but I do wanna touch on the pro challenges

Now I'm not engrained in skate culture so I cannot attest to how accurate or significant the challenges were to the respected pro, but the game does advertise the pro challenge as something that is a highlight in that skater's career and then you get to watch a corresponding short video related to that challenge

Some of these were 1 to 1 accurate (Hawk/Burnquist/Mullins)

But then you have someone like Elissa Steamer's pro challenge on Alcatraz which is "Elissa's Super Gaps" which has her clearing gaps while doing corresponding tricks and what's the accompanying video?

3-4 minutes of mostly flat-ground flip trick to grind
And Ollie off of the ledge onto flat ground nothing I'd consider a "super gap"

Another pro challenge I wanna mention is Kareem Campbell's "Roof Gap" challenge which mentions him being the first person to kickflip the Gonz Gap

The accompanying video is half grind tricks and the other half is just different clips of him hitting his signature trick the "ghetto bird"

In a game that is created by actual people who put every rail half and quarter pipe into the game, you couldn't recreate the Gonz gap? hell the video that you unlock doesn't even include this moment

Now I understand that inherently it is a video game so if you made every "pro challenge" be oh just do these tricks until you're done that wouldn't be fun"

But if these challenges are supposed to be moments from each skater's career then they should at least relate a little to it

There are 190 goals in the game but I'd cut at least a quarter to half of them out, just like old THPS games each of the 9 levels (two of which you have to buy) all include two get-the-combo letters, one get-the-skate letters, three score challenges (high/pro/sick)

They will also include one or two comps you have to medal and every level has one or two pro challenges tied to it

I could probably write a review of just the quality of the goals but they range from butt-butt easy to mind-numbing controller eviscerating

The further you get in the game the lengths you need to go in just trying to reach a goal or hit the hitbox gets more and more irritating but they added cheats for a reason

I think if you can get past the annoying parts and you haven't played this game before then i'd say go for it as you will most likely have a decent time

However if you thinking about replaying this game I'd say don't unless you're gonna use the cheats as there's really nothing to come back to at this point when you have games like THUG1 or even THPS 1+2 Remake/Remaster

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 revolutionized the series with its open-ended career mode, allowing players to explore vast levels freely while tackling goals and challenges at their own pace. The expanded trick system offered deeper combos, and the quirky side missions added a healthy dose of humor and variety. However, difficulty spikes and occasional frustrating goals can slightly dampen the experience. Still, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 remains a beloved entry, pushing the franchise forward with its ambitious level design and focus on player freedom.

i have a creepypasta about this game. i recently tried to buy a copy of this on ps2 to relive my childhood and the disc i bought would only show me the legendary Red Screen until ONE INSTANCE that it worked and when the game loaded it was not tony hawk pro skater 4. it was some very strange, low poly, offbrand... version? it was a skating game. it was made to Look like thps4. it was not thps4. the disc never worked again after that and i have no documentation of this besides messaging my friend "WHAT IS THIS BOOTLEG THPS4 I WAS SCAMMED?". im still haunted by this.